NOLCOM chief Lieutenant General Romeo Tanalgo said the first “underwater flag raising” was not prompted by the recent incursion of a Chinese research ship in the area but was part of their territorial defense operations.

“With or without any foreign ship passing through Benham Rise, we really have to stake our claim here in Philippine Rise,” he said.

Executive Order No. 25, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on May 16, renamed the 13-million hectare underwater feature within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.